1. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. invokes passages from “The Gettysburg Address,” The Declaration of Independence, and the Bible. Why do you think he references these sources? How do these sources help make his letter more powerful?

Dr. King Jr. wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” after an unfair offer was made by eight white clergymen. Their claims were to be that no Negro “outsider” should be allowed to establish or lead any protest and should leave them to their local neighborhoods. I feel like he referenced these sources because they are well known by the people that would be reading this letter and it will make it easier for his readers to connect to what he is saying. Also all of these sources all talk about human equality in some way. The Gettysburg Address was a speech by Abraham Lincoln where he talks about bringing true equality to all citizens of the US and this speech was that in common with Dr. King’s letter. The Declaration of Independence of course is what this country was founded by. The very important line in it is the line that all “men are created equal” which is what Dr.King is talking about in his letter. Lastly the Bible was referenced because it is an religious book that well known in this country which talks about treating people right and equally just like Martin’s letter. These sources make his letter more powerful because these are major a document, moment, and book in our history that will bring up many different emotions in his readers. Also it will make people think about what this country was originally founded of all and how it is not living up to those ideals. That is why I think he uses them as sources in his letter. 2. Many critics of the Civil Rights movement urged Negroes in the U.S. to wait for their rights to be recognized. In “Letter from a Birmingham...

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS HELPFUL

...﻿Anna Murray
18 April 2014
ENG121
Rhetorical Analysis
A Call for Help
Martin Luther King Jr. presents a compelling argument against segregation of the black and white community in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He informs Birmingham’s eight religious leaders that he does not wish to cause violence but to promote equality among mankind, which has been disturbed by segregation laws and practices in Birmingham. King’s counter arguments signify the flawed claims made by...

...a bright man. His “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in April 1963, while he was in jail in Birmingham, Alabama, for acts of civil disobedience (499). His letter is a response to a letter signed by clergyman criticizing his actions towards civil rights. The clergymen believed that his actions were “untimely.” King states ,”if I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk…I would have no time for constructive work” (500). He usually...

...time when America was divided by race and creed. Dr. Martin Luther King was motivated to write this letter by the unjustified violent acts of discrimination, imprisonment, and physical bodily harm that he and many others had encountered during what was supposed to be a non-violent racial segregation protest in Birmingham, Alabama. After being arrested for his part in the protest, he penned “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from the confines of his cell. He used...

...In the Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. creates a powerful response to a statements from eight white Alabama clergymen opposing his sit-ins and marches in Birmingham, Alabama. In the letter King is defending his peaceful demonstrations and stance on nonviolence. According to the clergymen, everyone should live life by common sense and by law and order and feel that the battle for integration should take place in the local and federal courts and...

...﻿Sara Luka
Mrs. Ascoli
AP English
19 January 2015
Letter From Birmingham Jail
On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for leading a protest and parading without a parading permit. As an amazing and inspiring leader he was, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” defends his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression. King’s purpose of writing the letter...

...Stephanie Ford
Professor Nelson
English 100
October 15, 2012
“Letter From Birmingham Jail” Summary Response
In "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther King strives to justify the need for nonviolent direct action in order to end all forms of segregation and helping the civil rights movement. He wrote there are unjust laws and just laws. He believes segregation laws were unjust because it damages the personality and makes African American lives below...

...Communication would help everyone throughout the world.
Martin Luther King “Letter From a Birmingham Jail was a published statement by eight fellow Clergymen from the state of Alabama who awful criticized King for organizing and participating in the protest march among segregation in Birmingham. King’s letter was an attempt to defend himself from accusations and to criticize white moderates and church. From the first lines of the letter, Martin...

...On April 16, 1963, from the jail in Birmingham, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter to the eight leaders of the white Church of the South. They had attacked his civil rights work in a public statement released on April 12, 1963. To persuade his readers, King mainly uses three types of persuasion that are appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. First, King appeals to his own reputation and wisdom. Second, he tries to arouse emotions or sympathy in the readers. Finally, he...